idiot savant

idiot savant
/id"ee euht sa vahnt", seuh vant", sav"euhnt/; Fr. /ee dyoh sann vahonn"/, pl. idiot savants, Fr. idiots savants /ee dyoh sann vahonn"/. Psychiatry.
a mentally defective person with an exceptional skill or talent in a special field, as a highly developed ability to play music or to solve complex mathematical problems mentally at great speed.
[1925-30; < F: lit., learned idiot]

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People of subnormal intelligence or severely limited emotional range who have prodigious intellectual gifts in a specific area.

Mathematical, musical, artistic, and mechanical abilities have been among the talents demonstrated by idiot savants. Examples include performing rapid mental calculations of huge sums, playing lengthy compositions from memory after a single hearing, and repairing complex mechanisms without training. About 10% of autistic people are idiot savants; mentally retarded people may also be savants, though the incidence is much lower. See also autism.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Idiot savant — Idiot sa|vant [idjɔsa vã] der; , s s [idjɔsa vã] <aus gleichbed. fr. idiot savant zu ↑Idiot u. fr. savant »gelehrt, gebildet«, dies zu savoir »wissen, kennen; können« (aus lat. sapere »Einsicht haben«)> Person, die auf einem speziellen… …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • idiot savant — [id′ē ət sa vänt′, savant′; sav′ənt; ] Fr [ ē dyō sȧ vän′] n. pl. idiot savants or Fr. idiots savants [ē dyō sȧ vän′] [Fr, lit., wise idiot] a mentally retarded person who possesses some remarkable special aptitude, as for memorization or rapid… …   English World dictionary

  • idiot savant — Individuo con un grave retraso mental, pero que, sin embargo, es capaz de realizar ciertas proezas mentales no habituales, fundamentalmente las relacionadas con música, solución de acertijos y rompecabezas o manipulación de números. Diccionario… …   Diccionario médico

  • Idiot savant —   [idijosa vã, französisch], Person, die auf einem speziellen Gebiet (z. B. in Gedächtnisleistung) überdurchschnittliche Fähigkeiten aufweist, im Übrigen aber schwachsinnig ist …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Idiot Savant — Die Inselbegabung – auch Savant Syndrom genannt – ist ein Phänomen, bei dem Menschen, oft mit kognitiver Behinderung, in einem kleinen Teilbereich außergewöhnliche Leistungen vollbringen. 50 Prozent der bekannten Inselbegabten sind Autisten.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • idiot savant — UK [ˌɪdɪəʊ sæˈvɒ̃] / US [ˌɪdɪoʊ sæˈvɑ̃] noun [countable] Word forms idiot savant : singular idiot savant plural idiot savants someone with a mental disability who has a special ability in a particular subject, for example in mathematics …   English dictionary

  • idiot savant — [ˌi:djəʊ sa vɒidiot savant, ˌɪdɪəʊ] noun (plural idiot savants or idiots savants pronunciation same) a person who has a mental disability or learning difficulties but is gifted in a specific way, such as the ability to perform feats of memory.… …   English new terms dictionary

  • idiot savant —    (eed YOH sah VANH) [French: learned idiot] In psychiatry, a mentally deficient person with extraordinary skill or ability in a special field, such as musical performance or mathematics.    The film stars Tom Hanks as the engaging idiot savant… …   Dictionary of foreign words and phrases

  • idiot savant — idiot sa·vant ē .dyō sä vän; id ē ət sə vänt, vant n, pl idiots savants .dyō sä vän(z); əts sə vänt(s), vant(s) or idiot savants a person affected with a mental disability (as autism or mental retardation) who exhibits exceptional skill or… …   Medical dictionary

  • idiot savant — noun (plural idiots savants or idiot savants) Etymology: French, literally, learned idiot Date: 1927 1. a person affected with a mental disability (as autism or mental retardation) who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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